It's because those Israelis are just not used to those non American style names.

You’re only saying that because Obama is [half-black/sorta Muslim-ish/other]

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The President of the United States has not been making a lot of friends in Israel lately. He snubbed Bibi, he’s looked the other way as Iran builds a nuke, and he’s generally treated one of America’s staunchest allies like something stuck to his shoe after walking Bo.

On Wednesday he was magnanimous enough to grant an interview with Israel’s Channel 2, and here’s one of his pearls of wisdom, as reported by Haaretz:

During the interview Wednesday, when confronted with the anxiety that some Israelis feel toward him, Obama said that “some of it may just be the fact that my middle name is Hussein, and that creates suspicion.”

Of course! It couldn’t be that they have substantive disagreements with your policies, Barry. They just can’t get past the name.

As Ace of Spades puts it:

It’s kind of amazing that every single criticism of, or lack of proper enthusiasm for, Barack Obama is rooted in some sort of bitter, clingy ignorance and malice. Apparently not a single critique of him is well-founded, or founded upon anything at all, really, except hatred and mental retardation.

Jim Geraghty, in his excellent Morning Jolt daily e-mail for NRO, likens this to SNL’s joke during the election about Obama playing the race card with Kim Jong-il.

All of which is just an excuse for me to recycle this bit from my old blog, which was linked by WaPo and the NYT and then appeared in slightly different form on SNL a week later, but I’m sure that’s just a coincidence:

A scene from Obama’s first term

Obama: The United States demands that you cease all efforts to manufacture nuclear weaponry.*

Ahmadinejad: No way, Yankee dog. Death to America!

[Pause]

O: Huh. Okay, I get it.

A: …what?

O: No, no, I get it.

A: Get what? All I said was “Death to America.”

O: Don’t worry about it, man. That’s just the way it is, I get it.

A: The way what is? Seriously, I don’t understand.

O: Right.

A: Is it because I hate America? I didn’t think you people had a prob–

O: “You people!”

A: No, wait.

O: “You people.” That’s just great.

A: No, all I mean is, is, you know… When your wife said that thing about… Just hold on a second, this is going way too fast.

O: Hey, if you guys want to keep trying to build nukes, I think we all understand what you’re really saying.

A: I’m really saying I want all unbelievers to burn! Why are you trying to read something bad into it?

O: It’s okay, you can say it. I don’t look like the presidents on the dollar bills.

A: What are you talking about? Have I gone insane or something?

[AND SCENE]

*I know, I know, he’d never actually say this. Just go with it for the sake of the joke.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2010/07/09/youre-only-saying-that-because-obama-is-half-blacksorta-muslim-ishother/print/#ixzz0tIlgl453